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The Battle of the River Plate - Fleet Auxiliary Support

The World War 2 naval action, which culminated in the Battle of the River Plate, had its makings with the sailing from Wilhelmshaven, Germany on the 21 August 1939 of the Panzerschiffe or pocket battle ship Admiral Graf Spee and her subsequent sinking of nine merchant ships in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean between 30 September and the 7 December 1939.

The World War 2 naval action, which culminated in the Battle of the River Plate, had its makings with the sailing from Wilhelmshaven, Germany on the 21 August 1939 of the Panzerschiffe or pocket battle ship Admiral Graf Spee and her subsequent sinking of nine merchant ships in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean between 30 September and the 7 December 1939.

The Cruise of the Graff Spee

The Royal Navy deployed Force ‘G’, the South America Cruiser Squadron, under the command of Commodore Henry Harwood Royal Navy. The Squadron was ordered to seek, find and sink the German raider. Commodore Harwood’s command consisted of HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles together with HMS Cumberland - which was undergoing a self maintenance period in the Falkland Islands.

The ensuing battle off the River Plate estuary on the 13 December 1939 resulted in all of the ships being damaged with members of their crews being killed or injured. The Graf Spee put into Montevideo Harbour for repairs and to land her dead and injured. She sailed again on the 17 December 1939 and was scuttled in the River Plate estuary later the same day.

The South America Cruiser Squadron and the Graf Spee could not have been engaged at sea for such a period and travelled so many nautical miles without the support of naval auxiliaries,

This article provides details of the ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Kriegsmarine which supported the opposing sides in this battle.

Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary which were involved

RFA Olynthus

RFA Olwen

RFA Olwen

coming alongside to refuel one of Force G

on 26 October 1939

RFA Orangeleaf (1)

RFA Orangeleaf (1)

approaching

HMNZS Achilles on 14 October 1939 to

replenish her

RFA Orangeleaf (1)

alongside

HMNZS Achilles on 14 October 1939

for replenishing her

RFA Orangeleaf (1)

breaking away from

HMNZS Achilles on 14 October 1939

after replenishing her

RFA Cherryleaf (1)

RFA Cherryleaf (1)

(General view)

Ships of the Kriegsmarine which were involved

Altmark

The German supply ship Altmark was one of a class of five tankers built between 1937 and 1939. She was engaged supporting Kriegsmarine ships during the Spanish Civil War. On 5 August 1939 she sailed from Germany to the USA to load a full cargo of oil and subsequently supported, on nine separate occasions, the Admiral Graf Spee during her raids on Allied shipping in the South Atlantic between September to December 1939.

The bows of motor tank Schiff Altmark

under construction

Motor tank Schiff Altmark

under construction

Motor tank Schiff Altmark

under way

Tacoma

The 8,268 ton Tacoma was built for the Hamburg Amerika Line by the German ship builders Deutsche Werft in Germany in 1930 as a cargo passenger vessel and was in Montevideo when the Admiral Graf Spey took shelter in that City’s harbour on 13 December 1939. She sailed shortly after the Admiral Graf Spee and took onboard around 800 members of the Pocket Battle ship crew shortly before she scuttled herself.

The ship remained off Montevideo due to British Naval Forces being off the mouth of the River Plate. On 1 January 1940 the Uruguayan Government interned the vessel as it had adjudged her to have acted under the orders of the Captain of the Graft Spee and thus to be a German Naval Auxiliary which had been in a neutral port for a period in excess of that allowed. The German Government claimed that her actions in saving the crew of the Graft Spee was through humanitarian motives

The time line of the involvement of the supply ships in this naval operation was: -

13 December 1939 whilst in action against the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee, HMS Ajax has X and Y turret put out of action and sustains some structural damage, but remained off the River Plate Estuary with HMS Exeter and Achilles. HMS Exeter sustained serious damage during this action, after several hits from 11 inch shell, she sustained many casualties and fire broke out in the ship. She continued to engage the enemy until she lost power caused by flooding and withdrew from the action with a heavy list and all of her guns out of action.

HMS Achilles, Ajax and Exeter shadow Graf Spee in to Montevideo and remained off the coast of Uruguay until the German ship scuttles herself.

15 December 1939 RFA Olynthus refuelled HMS Ajax, which proved a difficult operation; the ship had to use hurricane hawsers to complete the operation, which was covered by HMS Achilles and Exeter. HMS Exeter then sails for Port Stanley, Falkland Islands after being relieved by HMS Cumberland

17 December HMS Achilles RAS’s with RFA Olynthus off Rouen Bank

17 December Graff Spee followed by the Tacoma sail from Montevideo. The Tacoma takes on board crew members from the Graff Spee after which Graff Spee scuttled herself in the mouth of the River Plate. Over 1,000 of the Pocket Battle ships crew were subsequently taken to Argentina and interned. Tacoma returned to Montevideo

31 December 1940 (at 1.30am) Tacoma given notice to sail from Montevideo within 24 hours or be interned as she was considered to be a German Naval Auxiliary.

1 January 1940 Tacoma interned by the Government of the Republic of Uruguay for failing to sail in accordance with the notice given to the ship’s Captain.

14 February 1940 Altmark was spotted by three British Lockheed Hudson aircraft on patrol from RAF Thornaby as she was proceeding south in Norwegian territorial waters.

16 February 1940 Altmark was returning to Germany with 299 British Merchant Seaman onboard as prisoners. She ran aground and was boarded by sailors from HMS Cossack in Jøssingfjord, Norway. After some fighting the German crew were overwhelmed (seven of her crew being killed) and the British sailors were discovered in the hold and freed. Due to damage she sustained when running aground the Altmark was left aground in the fjord.

Altmark in Jøssingfjord

March 1940 towed back to Germany

6 August 1940 Altmark was renamed Uckermark. She continued as a fleet auxiliary for the Kriegsmarine eventually accidentally blowing up in harbour at Yokohama, Japan on 30 November 1942 with the loss of 53 of her crew.

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